This Life I Left Behind
by Maishika Shiori
Summary: When a prisoner of Orochimaru finally escapes after four years, her smile has gone and her eyes are haunted. Now it's up to a certain Hyuuga to relight the joy in the eyes of an old friend. NejixOC
1. Homecoming

A prisoner of Orochimaru is finally free. When she finally arrives home after four years, her smile is gone and her eyes hold only sorrow. Now it's up to a certain Hyuuga to relight the joy in the eyes of an old friend. Neji x OC

_**Warning: Major spoilers for the latest manga chapters**_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Homecoming**

"Where will you go now?"

"Home."

"How long has it been for you?"

"Four years."

"Wow, four years? It's only been two for me. I still can't believe he's dead, though. It seems too good to be true."

Kazue stopped in the middle of the path and looked at her companion, Yuka. She blinked her cold, emerald green eyes slowly and said bitterly, "Does it matter? We're free. We can finally go home. What difference does it make whether the bastard is really dead or not?"

Yuka let out a single laugh that was carefree, wise, joyful, and sorrowful all at the same time before saying, "You're right."

Neither girl talked at all for the next hour until they reached a place where the road branched off in two different directions.

"I guess this is goodbye. Time for both of us to rejoin the world," Yuka said, breaking the silence. "Look me up if you're ever in the Water country, okay?"

Kazue nodded and embraced the only friend she'd had since being captured by the Sound Village. Yuka whispered, "Don't worry, I'll come visit you in Konoha when I can. Hang in there, girl."

They parted, each going to their own countries; back to their own family and friends; back to their old lives. That day four years ago when Kazue left for a simple escort mission was still etched clearly in her mind. She had said a cheerful goodbye to her parents and siblings, promising to be back in a week. She hadn't seen them since. Kazue wondered what had changed in her absence. Did her family still own the resturaunt? Her little brother Tsukino would be graduated from the academy, maybe even a chuunin by now. What about her old teammates and sensei? Would they even recognize her? These questions and many more were pondered during the remaining twenty-four hours of her journey home. When she reached the gates of Konoha, she hesitated only a moment before entering.

"Morikawa Kazue reporting back from away mission," she said to the gatekeepers with a small bow as if no time had passed. They eyed her worn, grey tunic, pale, dirty skin, and lack of shoes suspiciously.

"I've been gone a very long time. I just want to go home," she half stated, half pleaded.

"Welcome back, then, Morikawa Kazue," said one of them. The other one grabbed a light jacket that was draped across his chair and tossed it to her.

"You look cold," he said simply. She thanked him, slipping it on and heading down the street towards the small resturant her parents kept; or at least they had when she had gone missing. Kazue smiled in relief when she saw it, looking exactly the way it had four years ago. It was about ten o'clock, so the place was empty except for a middle-aged woman with emerald green eyes, who was busy wiping down the counter. She glanced up briefly and said, "Menus are over there. The name's Koyami, I'll be your waitress. You want something to drink?"

Kazue was neither surprised nor hurt that she hadn't recognized her. She had been only thirteen when the Sound ninjas had captured her. Now seventeen, Kazue had grown a great deal taller and more developed in her time away from home. To put it simply, she had grown up.

"It's been a long time...Mother," she said softly. "It's me. I'm home."

Koyami turned around slowly, as if afraid to move too fast. Or perhaps she was afraid that she would turn around only to find that her daughter wasn't really there, that it was only a dream.

"...Kazue...?" she whispered. Their identical green eyes met. Kazue gave a small smile, and Koyami threw her arms around her in a tight embrace, sobbing tears of joy.

"Oh, Kazue, it's really you! I was so sure you were dead!" Koyami cried. After a few moments, she held Kazue out at arm's length from her, taking in the sight of her firstborn child. "Look at you, you're all grown up now."

"Koyami? You okay? I heard a shout," came a voice from behind her.

"Daddy!" Kazue exclaimed, throwing her arms around her father.

"Kazue?!"

"Our, baby's home, Tenichi," Koyami laughed happily. After a few more minutes of crying and hugging, Tenichi finally asked the important question.

"When you didn't come home after a month, the ANBU investigated. They said you'd been captured by some of Orochimaru's men. Is that true, and if it is, how did you escape?"

"It's true," she said, shivering at the memory. "I completed my mission escorting the politician to the Rice Field country. I was on my way home when I was ambushed. It happened so fast, I barely knew what was happening. They gave me some drug, and when I woke up I was in his hideout."

"But how on earth did you escape?" Koyami pressed.

"I didn't. I was set free," she explained.

* * *

_"Hey...that's Uchiha Sasuke!"_

_Kazue looked up __and s__aw the d__ark h__aired teen, __accomp__anied by __a white h__aired guy. Yuk__a nudged her __and whispered, "Th__at's Suigetsu from the Hidden Mist__. They call him 'the second coming of__ Z__abuz__a__, the Demon of the Mist__.' He's supposed to be __a re__ally vicious ninj__a.__"_

_"What's he doing here?" questioned __another prisoner.  
_

_"Wait, Orochimaru's not with him... The rumor must be true!"_

_"Yeah...Yeah!!! He defeated Orochimaru and came to free us!"_

_Kazue's he__art jumped. Could it be? W__as he re__ally gone? She h__ad he__ard the whispers of the sn__ake m__aster__'s demise, but h__adn't believed them. There w__as simply no w__ay __a boy of only fifteen could defe__at one of the three legend__ary __S__annin._

_"Get real, you dope. There's no way Orochimaru's dead," sn__apped one of the prisoners.  
_

_Kazue lowered her he__ad. He w__as right. It h__ad to be__ just __another rumor._

* * *

"Set free? But...how?" Tenichi asked. 

"By Uchiha Sasuke," she told them. "Orochimaru is dead. He killed him."

"What?!" Koyami gasped. Kazue nodded.

* * *

_"Really...? So what we heard about Uchiha Sasuke defeating Orochimaru was true?" _

_"Sure was," grinned Suigetsu._

_"What's gonna happen to us?" __asked __a m__an to __Kazue's left.  
_

_"You get set free. Duh," Suigetsu s__aid._

_"Y..you mean it?"_

_"Yep... Look at me. I'm free, aren't I?" he chuckled. "But before I let you out, I need you guys to promise me something"_

_"A__nything! You name it!"_

_"When you get out, spread the word. 'Uchiha Sasuke killed Orochimaru and set us free,' and that 'he's here to bring peace and safety to the whole world.'"_

_Suigetsu chuckled __and unlocked the cell. __Kazue couldn't believe it. __A__fter four miser__able ye__ars, she w__as free. She gr__abbed Yuk__a's h__and __and rushed out with the others. When she stepped outside, she h__ad to shield her eyes from the brightness of the sunlight. She couldn't remember the l__ast time she'd seen the light of d__ay except through __a tiny window in the cell she resided in._

* * *

Koyami and Tenichi decided to close the resturant for the day and took Kazue home, asking questions the entire way. 

"Did they question you about Konoha at all?"

"Not really. They asked me my rank, and I told them I was new chuunin. I guess they figured any information they could get out of me wasn't worth the effort," Kazue responded flatly.

"Were you alone the whole time?"

"No, I shared a cell with about twenty other prisoners."

"Did they...hurt you at all, Kazue?"

"Yes."

Koyami and Tenichi exchanged worried looks and didn't ask anything else, perhaps afraid of the answers they might get. When they arrived home, Kazue let a small smile spread across her face.

"I didn't think I'd ever see this place again," she said.

"We kept your room the same as when you left," Tenichi stated, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"That's good," Kazue nodded, then tilted her head in thought. "My old clothes won't fit me anymore. I'll have to borrow something of yours, mother."

"Of course, dear. Would you like something to eat? You look like you haven't eaten in a while. Did they even feed you at all in that place?" Koyami joked.

"Yes, but only enough to keep us alive," Kazue responded simply, with no emotion. "But yes, I am quite hungry."

"Well, what would you like? We'll fix whatever you want," Tenichi smiled.

"Could I have some soumen, onigiri, a plate of gyoza, and a glass of warm sake, please? Oh, and some dango. I haven't had dango in ages."

"Sake? When did you start drinking sake?" Koyami asked in surprise.

"They would give it to us as a painkiller. I acquired quite a taste for it, I suppose," Kazue shrugged.

"Alright, then. What will you be doing while your father and I are cooking?" Koyami asked. Kazue smiled slightly.

"Taking a long, hot bath. I haven't bathed in a very long time. In the Sound, they just hosed us down with cold water when we got too dirty."

As Kazue relaxed in the warm water of her first bath in four years, she thought about what she would do now that she was home. _I should probably get back to training as soon as I can. I wonder how Nana__, Hiroshi, and Koji-sensei are doing. It'll certainly be a surprise when I show up after four years absence._ After a good hour of soaking, Kazue drained the water and wrapped a towel around herself. Hearing a soft knocking, Kazue opened the door to find her mother standing there with some clothes in her hands.

"I brought you some of my old clothes," she explained. Kazue thanked her and turned around to grab her old Sound clothes for her mother to throw away.

"Kazue, your back!" Koyami gasped, reaching out to touch the series of deep scars stretching across her daughter's back. "What happened?"

"Punishment from the first time I tried to escape," Kazue explained as if it wasn't a big deal. "Isn't this your favorite yukata, mother? The one you wore when you met dad?"

"Er, yeah. I always wanted to see you in it," Koyami said, taken aback by the sudden change of subject. "I'll-I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Kazue slipped on the simple, blue yukata and looked in the mirror. Seeing how much she now looked like her mother, the young kunoichi almost laughed. The only thing wrong with the reflection was her hair, tangled and matted, making her look like some street beggar. She'd have to fix that. Taking out a pair of scissors from the drawer, Kazue got to work snipping away at her hair. Inch by inch, black locks of hair fell into the sink like falling leaves. When she was finished, Kazue admired her handiwork. She'd taken off a good six inches of hair so that now the ends just brushed her shoulders. She gave herself bangs, too.

"Kazue, are you still in here?" questioned Koyami through the closed door.

"Yes, I was just cleaning up," Kazue replied, brushing the discarded locks of hair into the garbage. Koyami entered and laughed when she got a look of Kazue's hair.

"Your ends are crooked. You should've asked me for help, dear," she chuckled, picking up the scissors and sitting Kazue down on the edge of the bathtub. While she was trimming, Koyami noticed a mark on the back of Kazue's neck. Three curved, cresent shapes arranged like a pinwheel.

"What's this?" Koyami asked, touching the mark. She jerked her hand back, however, when she felt a sharp flare of chakra, like an electrical shock, shoot from it.

"The Earth seal. It's a cursed seal I got my first month in the Sound," Kazue explained.

"But what is it?" Koyami pressed.

"It's a way for Orochimaru to control those he gives power to. The seal allows the wearer to access more than three times the amount of chakra they have when they activate the first stage of the seal, and more than ten times the chakra in the second stage. The thing is, though, that the more you use it, the more you lose your free will until you eventually become nothing more than a mindless killing slave of Orochimaru. His followers choose to get the mark, but we prisoners had no choice. He used us to test the seals, trying to improve it. I think that was the closest I've ever come to dying, when I got the seal," Kazue finished casually, as if talking about the weather.

"What do you mean, the closest you've ever come to dying?" Koyami asked, disturbed by Kazue's apathy about being a test subject to Orochimaru's sick experiments.

"Once the seal is placed, the wearer has a one out of ten chance of surviving. I guess I was the lucky one. I was the only one out of the fifteen in my test group who made it. Would you like to see what it looks like?" she offered, but Koyami shook her head.

"No, in fact, I'm going to see the Hokage about getting it removed. I don't want you having any more connections to that place," she said sternly. Kazue nodded her head. "Okay. We can go see her after lunch if you want. I need to report to her anyway, in case she doesn't know about Orochimaru's death."

"Lunch is ready!" called Tenichi from the kitchen. Kazue hurried down, stomach growling eagerly.

"Itadakimasu," she said, seperating her chopsticks and diving in immediately. It had been two days since the last time she had eaten, and it showed. In less that ten minutes, she was finished, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. It suddenly occured to Kazue that she hadn't seen any of her siblings yet.

"Where are Tsukino, Ryota, Moriko, and Hanako? Oh, and did Tsukino make chuunin yet? What about the twins, they're graduated from the academy now, aren't they? Is Ryota in the academy now? I bet he'll be surprised to see me."

"Slow down there, kiddo," Tenichi laughed. "Tsukino is out training with his team, and yes, he made chuunin six months ago. Moriko and Hanako are genin now, and they're on a team together."

"We should warn you, Kazue, that there's a chance that Ryota won't remember you," Koyami explained. "He was only two when you disappeared, after all."

"Yes, I guess you're right. He most likely won't have a clue who I am. It will be interesting for him to suddenly have another sister. Perhaps it would be better for you to break it to him before I see him so he won't be shocked," Kazue reasoned. "Mother, do you have something else I can wear? If we're going to be walking around town all day, I'd like something a bit more practical."

"Hm, that's a tough one. Most of what I have is nicer stuff for work, and my mission outfit is in the wash right now. You might fit some of Tsukino's clothes, though," Koyami informed her. "He's grown quite a bit. He might even be a little taller than you."

Koyami got her a pair of chuunin-issue navy blue pants and a plain black shirt to try on. Thanking her mother, Kazue hurried up to her room to change. When she was done, she reached under her bed and pulled out a trunk with her name engraved in the lid. She blew off the layer of dust that had settled and stood up. Grabbing a book from her bookshelf, she gently shook it until a small key fell out, which she used to unlock the trunk. In it were all her old weapons, scrolls, and extra forehead protectors. She took out a hitai-ate and ran her fingers over the leaf symbol on it.

"They took mine away, along with all my weapons and my chuunin vest," Kazue said as she tied the hitai-ate around her head, sensing her father's presence at the door. "It's nice to be a leaf ninja again."

"You always were a leaf ninja, Kazue," Tenichi assured her, stroking her black hair. "Your mother said to tell you that the two of you will leave whenever you're ready."

Kazue grabbed her belt of weapons and shoved the trunk back under her bed.

"Are those really neccesary? You're just going downtown," Tenichi inquired. Kazue just shrugged and fastened her belt around her thin waist. "I'm never letting myself be caught off-guard again. Four years of hell is enough for one lifetime."

A few minutes later, they were off.

"We're here to see the Hokage. It's somewhat important."

"Have a seat over there. She's in a meeting now, so you'll have to wait a few minutes," said the tired-looking receptionist, pointing to some uncomfortable looking chairs with her pencil. Twenty minutes later, a door down the hall flung open and three younger looking shinobi (genin maybe?) flooded out, followed by a livid Tsunade.

"So next time you three decide to pull a stunt like that, I'll have you picking up garbage and walking dogs until your arms fall off!"

"Your turn," said the receptionist cheerfully, with a sucks-to-be-you grin plastered on her carefully made up face.

"Wow, I never thought she'd get that mad," said one of the three genin, a brown-haired boy with a mischievous face, as they scampered by. "I mean, all that for using my brilliant distraction technique on Ebisu-sensei?"

"I think she was more mad about the fact that you used your henge no jutsu to turn yourself into a naked female in the middle of a crowded public marketplace, Konohamaru," said the small redhead girl running to keep up with the other two boys, though she was laughing as well.

"Who's next?" shouted Tsunade as the trio rounded the corner out of sight. Kazue stood up, told her mother that she should wait for her to finish before she comes in to talk about removing her cursed seal, and walked into the office.

"Well, what is it?" she barked irritably. Kazue decided to get straight to the point.

"Orochimaru is dead, if you're not already aware, Hokage-sama. He was killed by Uchiha Sasuke," she said bluntly, not even bothering to introduce herself first. Tsunade didn't look like she had that much patience left.

"Yes, we are aware of the situation. Our intelligence informed us of it just yesterday. The fact that he is dead, however, is still highly classified and hasn't been released to the public. You told me 'Orochimaru is dead' as if you know this fact firsthand," Tsunade said, looking at her expectantly. Kazue nodded and explained, "Hai. I know this firsthand because I was there."

"Come again?"

"Up until two days ago, I was a captive of the Hidden Sound. I just got home this morning. Sasuke-san and Suigetsu of the Hidden Mist freed us after he killed Orochimaru."

Tsunade smiled at Kazue. "Welcome back, then. I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do with your friends and family, so if there's nothing else you wish to say, miss...?"

"Morikawa Kazue," she filled in, remembering that she hadn't introduced herself. "There's a couple more things I need to inquire about, actually. Plus my mother wishes to speak to you as well, so I'll make this quick. First I'll need my name officially taken off the 'deceased persons' list, which I'm assuming I'm on."

The rule was that if a ninja has been missing for two years or more with no evidence pointing to them being alive, they are officially considered deceased. Though, knowing that she had been taken by the Sound, they may have cut that time in half. Not many people lived more than a year or two in Otogakure.

"Just how long were you there?" Tsunade asked.

"Four years."

"You survived _four years_ under the mercy of Orochimaru? You must be a strong person indeed, Morikawa Kazue. I know the things that man does to his subjects. I want you to see the medical team for a full physical evaluation to make sure you don't have any long-term damage. I'll have your records changed by tomorrow so that you are _officially_ alive and well and able to rejoin your duties whenever you decide you're ready. You said your mother has something to talk to me about as well? Go ahead and bring her in," she directed. Kazue ushered Koyami in. She looked somewhat nervous, apprehensive even, about seeing the Hokage. It was only natural, although Kazue didn't have any problems with it. She'd faced things a lot scarier than a grumpy Tsunade (which is certainly saying something).

"What is it you need?" Tsunade asked.

"Well, you see," she began, "Kazue came home with this...thing, and I want it gone. A mark of some sort. From...him. I didn't really understand when she explained it to me, but if it has anything to do with Orochimaru, it can't be good."

"So just what is this 'mark-thing'? You're not being very clear," said Tsunade with a hint of irritation. Rather than leave it up to her mother, who had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, Kazue turned around and lifted her hair up to show her. The blonde sannin groaned, "Please tell me that's not a curse scar."

Kazue nodded. Tsunade folded her hands together and turned to Koyami.

"I'm sorry, but I can't remove it."

"Why not?" Koyami demanded.

"I can't without risking your daughter's life. Normally, I'd seal it to prevent Orochimaru from activating it, but seeing as he's dead, I think it's best to leave it as is. It won't harm her, as long as she doesn't remain in the second stage for extended periods of time. In fact, it may provide a distinct advantage in battle if she has a good amount of control over it," she explained. "How's your control over the mark, Kazue?"

Kazue formed her hands together in a seal and allowed the black pattern of the mark spread over her, careful to make sure the curling, calligraphy-like lines stayed on just the left side of her body. She held it for a few seconds before switching to the right side.

"My control is sufficient, ne?" she asked, looking between the two. Tsunade nodded and dismissed them, reminding Kazue to report for her physical evaluation in the morning. The young kunoichi released the mark, and the lines receded back to the mark on her neck. Koyami paled beside her and quickly walked out the door with Kazue in tow. It wasn't until they were downtown when Koyami finally spoke.

"You know, if we hurry, we'll be able to catch your old teammates. They come to the resturant every day for lunch at about this time."

"That sounds good," Kazue answered, noting how her mother's smile didn't quite reach her eyes, as if forced. "I've been wondering what they've been up to."

They arrived outside the resturant and only had to wait a few minutes before four people, still sweating from training, rounded the corner, joking and laughing.

"Sorry, guys, we're closed today," Koyami grinned.

"What? Why?"

Kazue stepped out from behind her mother.

"Long time no see," she greeted. A girl with aquamarine hair and light pink eyes let out a high-pitched scream and launched herself at Kazue.

"Kazue?! Oh my God, it _is_ you! We thought you were dead!"

"It's good to see you too, Nana-chan," she replied, hugging her old friend before turning to the others, a boy with long, rust-red hair and blue eyes, an older man in his late twenties with shaggy black hair and black eyes, and a third male whom she didn't know. A friend of Nana's maybe? The red-head clapped her on the shoulder and tousled her hair.

"I knew you wouldn't let those fuckers in the Sound village do you in, Kaz," he laughed.

"I see your vocabulary hasn't changed, Hiro-kun."

"Damn right, and I'm damn glad to see you, girl! You got tall, you used to be such a shrimp!"

"Language, Hiroshi," scolded the older ninja good-naturedly. "It's great to have you back, Kazue."

Kazue nodded. "Good to be back, Koji-sensei."

The fourth member of their little party, the one she hadn't recognized, cleared his throat and smiled, "So you're Kazue. I've heard a lot about you from the team. It's good to finally meet you."

"Arigato gozaimasu, but if you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but Nana cut him off, saying, "Well, when we thought you weren't coming back, we kind of had to... replace you... so, uh... this is Daichi."

"Good to meet you. It will be interesting working with you," Kazue nodded, bowing slightly in greeting. Koyami put her hand on Kazue's shoulder and said, "I'm going to head home so I can talk to your siblings when they get home. Make sure you're home before dinner, okay? Here's some money so you can go buy yourself some new clothes."

"Okay, mother. Thank you," she answered. As Koyami left, Nana seized Kazue's arm and looked at her excitedly.

"C'mon, we're going shopping," she stated enthusiastically, and began pulling her down the street. "Just like old times, huh? Remember that time we blew a weeks worth of mission wages to go shopping for new clothes? Then your dad got mad at you and said that you should've used the money to buy a new set of weapons, didn't he? Oh, and remember when we..."

Kazue partially tuned Nana's constant stream of talking out, offering a "yeah" or "uh-huh" every now and then. She supposed she should be relieved that Nana hadn't changed from the talkative girl she had been at thirteen, but at the same time she had expected her to act a little, well, _older_ than she had four years ago. Kazue noticed that Hiroshi and Daichi were trailing behind them. They gave her a look that said, "You've been gone for four year, it's _your_ turn to take one for the team."

At some point in the conversation, Kazue stopped dead in her tracks to stare at someone as they passed her on the road. It took a couple seconds for Nana to notice.

"Kaz?"

"Was that Hyuuga Neji?"

"What? Oh, yeah, that was Neji alright," Nana confirmed. "He made jounin, you know."

"My, that's...impressive," Kazue replied. Neji had been a friend back in her academy/early genin years. She used to practice taijutsu with him on occasion, since neither Nana nor Hiroshi were taijutsu types. Nana nudged her in the ribs, giggling, "He's pretty damn fine, ne? Even with that ridiculous robe of his."

Kazue, however, was saved from answering by Hiroshi coming up and demanding, "What're you two whispering about? No secrets now."

"I was just telling Kazue how nice it is to have someone other than you two buffoons to talk to," Nana retorted, making a face at the two boys. Daichi let out a small cough that sounded suspiciously like _"gossip"_. When they arrived at the small shop, Kazue made short order of choosing several outfits, much to Nana's disappointment.

"Come on, you have to spend more time than _that_," she insisted. "And all you did was pick three of the same outfits in three different colors. Here, pick one of them to keep and I'll help you pick out something else."

Kazue, not wanting to crush her friend's enthusiasm, simply followed Nana's not-so-subtle hints on what "matched her eyes" and "brought out her complection" the best, until they finally walked out of the store with several bags of clothes two hours later. Kazue had changed out of her brother's clothes and was now in an outfit with a black kimono-style top with white trim with a pair of loose pants that were also black with white trim. It also had a white sash that tied around the waist that she could tuck her weapons into. She had to admit, it looked pretty damn good on her. Ignoring Nana's protests, she had also taken off her (brother's) shoes in favor of walking around in bare feet.

"What's the point in getting new clothes and looking nice if you're gonna walk around with no shoes like some country hick?"

"I like it," she had responded with a casual shrug. Coming to her defense, Hiroshi added, "Yeah, Nana. If she doesn't feel like wearing shoes, she doesn't have to, you dork."

"But-"

Kazue cut her off by explaining, "I haven't had shoes since I outgrew the ones I had on when _it_ happened. I'm getting blisters from wearing shoes again, that's all."

Wisely, Nana said nothing. It was shortly after this that Kazue said goodbye to her teammates and headed home, inviting them to come by for some catching up over dinner. She was eager to see her siblings again.

Opening the door to her house Kazue's heart skipped a beat as she observed seven pairs of shoes scattered around the entryway, indicating that the entire family was home and probably waiting for her, plus one extra person. Hearing voices coming from the living room, she slid the door open and stepped inside. Every head immediately turned to her, making her the slightest bit uncomfortable. She swallowed once before uttering an almost shy, "Um, hello."

Her siblings merely stared for half a second before exclaiming her name all at once. The next thing she knew, she was being tackled to the couch by three bodies.

"Alright, you three. Get off of your sister," Tenichi scolded. "It'd be an awful shame for her to be crushed to death after just getting home."

After regaining the use of her arms, Kazue immediately scooped them up into a tight hug.

"Tsukino, Moriko, Hanako, I missed you guys," she said with a small smile, then looked around. "Where's Ryota?"

She spotted him sitting on her father's legs, looking unsure about the whole situation. Kazue got up and knelt beside the small boy, asking in a gentle voice, "Do you remember me, Ryota?"

In a careful voice he replied, "You're Kazue. I remember you from the pictures on the walls."

Well, it was better than him having no clue who she was, she supposed. Just then, Koyami stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Kazue, dear. There's someone else we'd like you to meet," she said, stepping aside to reveal a small girl, maybe three or four years old, clinging to Koyami's legs like a life raft. "This is Kiku; she's your sister."

* * *

**Shiori's Blurb:**I've had the idea for this one floating around my head since the chapter where Sasuke "kills" Orochimaru (Haha, it's Kabuchimaru!). Well anyway review would be nice. Makes me feel loved. 


	2. Hey Stranger, Remember Me?

"Kazue, dear. There's someone else we'd like you to meet," she said, stepping aside to reveal a small girl, maybe three or four years old, clinging to Koyami's legs like a life raft. "This is Kiku; she's your sister." 

Kiku looked up at Kazue with brilliant blue eyes that sparkled like stars, and said, "Are you my new sister?"

"Yes Kiku, I'm your sister, Kazue," she answered, hugging the sister she didn't know she had. She wondered what she should be feeling, because all she was feeling was surprise. Not happiness in meeting Kiku, nor anger that her parents hadn't told her when she first got home, nor relief in seeing her family back together again. It was...weird.

"I heard you made chuunin, Tsukino. Congratulations," she said, pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind. It was something she'd learned from life in the Sound; when something bothered you, it was best to ignore it and concentrate on surviving the day. Not quite healthy, but it kept you alive and (mostly) stable.

"Yeah, I've already gotten two B missions," he said in the casual, cool-guy way that fourteen-year-old boys liked to act.

"Well, we graduated!" interjected the twins at the same time.

"We gotta show you our new jutsus!" exclaimed Hanako, jumping all over her. Just then the doorbell rang, to Kazue's enormous relief. It was her team, come for the free food promised earlier. Koyami greeted them warmly, promising dinner within the hour. Soon the trio dragged Kazue up to her room while Koji-sensei conversed with the adults. Tsukino joined them, insisting that being a fellow chuunin, he was finally "mature enough" to be in on whatever they were discussing.

"How long have you been with the team?" Kazue asked, directing the question at Daichi.

"A little more than three years," he answered. "I got added in about eight months after you... er... went missing."

"So what kind of jutsus do you specialize in?"

"Long range fire-type jutsus, but I'm also pretty good with a katana. Not as good as you're rumored to be, though, if Nana and Hiroshi's boastings are to be believed."

"We'll have to see about that. Maybe we'll spar sometime. What about you two? Are you still using your same attacks?" she asked Nana and Hiroshi.

"Yep, I'm still the genjutsu person," Nana replied cheerfully.

"And I'm still the explosives person," Hiroshi added. Nana's genjutsus were always excellent. She could make you think you were drowning in the middle of the deserts of Suna. Sneaking into guarded places was easy when they could merely stroll in while the guards were bespelled by Nana's jutsu. Hiroshi's explosives were some of the best in Konoha. If he wanted to, he could take out three blocks with barely more than his chakra as fuel.

"What about you, Tsukino?"

"Actually, I've been training to be a medic nin. I use poison for fighting, though. I make all my own poisons, too. I've come up with seventeen of them for everything from stunning an opponent so they can't move, to killing them within seconds. I've got a lab down in the basement. I'll show you in the morning."

He reached into his pouch and took out a pack of long medical needles, each one a different color. He explained that the colors each stood for a different poison. Kazue was proud of her brother. He was a lot stronger now. She stood up and headed downstairs, telling the others she'd be back in a moment, that she was going down to find out how much time until dinner. As she approached the kitchen, she heard her parent's hushed voices whispering back and forth in argument. Curiosity getting the better of her, Kazue crept towards the cracked door.

She realized they were talking about her.

"But Tenichi, you saw the way she reacted to seeing her siblings. She barely even smiled! She used to be such a happy girl, always laughing and joking around! Remember how we used to joke that we should have named her Emi because she could always bring a smile to everyone's face? God, it's like she's not even the same person," Koyami whispered, almost hysterically.

"Yami, it's been four years. Of course she's different. She was raised in God knows what kind of horrible conditions this whole time."

Kazue heard her mother let out a loud sob at this.

"What I mean is, you can't go that long in a place like that without...changing. Hell, it's a miracle she's even _alive_. The things that went on in that place..." he trailed off, sounding angry.

"What do you mean? How do you-"

"-After six months with no word, I got tired of not knowing what was going on, so I broke into the records room. I read the files on the Sound Village and Orochimaru. Survivor accounts, medical records, autopsy reports. One person who escaped described how they would use the prisoners for target practice. They'd test their new jutsus on them until they're an inch from death, then have their medics stitch 'em back up so they could do it all over again!" he ranted furiously.

Koyami burst into tears at this point.

"This is why I didn't tell you back then. I'm telling you now so that you know that Kazue _is_ a different person now. She may never be the same, and we're just going to have to deal with that. She's still our daughter. She's still Kazue."

"I know, I know. It's just, I can't imagine that kind of thing happening to her," Koyami said. "I just can't believe it."

Kazue snuck off back up the stairs to her room.

"You okay?" asked Hiroshi. "You look tense."

"My parents think I'm brain damaged because I don't smile or laugh anymore," she answered matter-of-factly. "They said I changed too much."

"Oh, um...I'm sorry," said Nana. Kazue shrugged. Tsukino stood up angrily.

"Well, I don't blame them! You come back after being gone four years looking like some war refugee. If mom and dad hadn't told me, I wouldn't have recognized you. My own sister!"

Grabbing her shoulder, he spun Kazue around to face her mirror and handed her a picture from her dresser. The picture was taken the day she became a chuunin. She was smiling widely, flashing a victory sign at the camera with her brand-new chuunin vest. She hadn't noticed it before, but looking at herself reflected in the mirror compared to the photograph in her hand, she could see the stark contrast. In the photo, her eyes were bright and sparkling a vibrant green. In her reflection, they were empty and sunken with a world-weary darkness to them. Her face was full and round in the picture, matching her slightly overweight figure, whereas now her clothes hung loosely from her underfed body and her hair fell limply around her hollow face.

"It is true, about you being different, that is," Hiroshi pointed out. "You look like you've been to hell and back a couple times."

"We don't think you're brain-damaged, though," Nana added quickly. "And neither do your parents. They just need to get used to you, that's all."

Tsukino opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by dinner being announced by Koyami.

"I'd like to toast Kazue's safe return," Koji-sensei announced merrily a few minutes later at the table. "To the toughest kunoichi in Konoha."

"Here here!" cheered Hiroshi. Kazue noticed that he had managed to swap his drink with some sake. Same old Hiro for you. Once everyone (especially Kazue) had filled themselves to their heart's content, Koji, Nana, and Hiroshi headed off with the excuse of early morning training. Kazue wished she would be joining them, but at the same time she knew that neither she nor her family was ready for her to be off doing missions again. Thwarting her attempts to sneak upstairs to polish her weapons, Moriko and Hanako pounced on Kazue, begging her to train with them.

"Pleeeease? Tsukino never practices with us," Moriko pleaded. Finally Kazue caved, promising them an hour of training before it got dark. They both cheered and scampered off to find their weapons. Kazue met them outside in the mini training ground they had in the backyard.

"Nice blades, you two," she complimented her sisters. They both had two giant kunai that went up to their shoulders with the tips stuck into the ground. "But are you any good with them?"

"Of course we are!" Hanako protested, shaking the blade at her. Kazue motioned for her to let her see one of them. She tested the edges and swung it a few times. It was surprisingly light, but well balanced. She nodded in approval. They were sharp on both sides, durable and chakra-sensitive. Very good quality. She'd be damned if she was going to let her little sisters run around fighting with a couple oversized butter knives. Kazue unsheathed her katana and took her fighting stance.

"Okay you two, attack me from anywhere."

* * *

An hour later, Kazue trudged wearily up the stairs into her room. She was worn out, but pleasantly surprised at how good they were for a couple genin. It was also good to see them continuing the family tradition. The Morikawa clan was known for their skill with blades. While Koyami owned the "Konoha Cafe and Eatery," Tenichi ran Morikawa Blacksmith, famous for its quality blades and swords. 

Despite her tiredness, she found herself staring at her ceiling, unable to sleep for a couple reasons. One, It felt weird being the only one in the room at night. In the Sound, she was always surrounded by twenty-some fellow prisoners. Two, it was too quiet. The underground lair was always filled with various sounds. Blades clashing as Sasuke-san trained, guards yelling, and the screams of prisoners. She remembered the nights where the near silence was shattered by bloodcurdling screaming. They struck fear into the hearts of everyone in the prison block. The cries of agony pleading for the reprieve of death were a constant reminder that any one of them could be next. Yet, they were also a relief. They took comfort in the fact that, at least for now, it wasn't their screams of pain reverberating through the stone passages.

When she finally did fall asleep, her dreams were filled with nightmares.

* * *

_"Kukuku."_

_That laugh, coming from everywhere at once. It surrounded Kazue like a suffocating cloud of dispair._

_"You think you've escaped me?"_

_"Leave me alone!" she screamed, running. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. In fact, there was nothing. Just that laugh, that voice._

_"You are mine. You belong to me. No matter where you go, you are marked as mine."_

_"No! You can't control me! No!" she shouted as she pressed her hands against her ears to drown out his voice, but it was no good. He was in her head as well._

_"Oh, but I can," he taunted, and suddenly Kazue's body was racked with pain spreading from her seal like fire. She grabbed the back of her neck as if it would stop the pain. Below the pain was the knowledge that he was right; she was tainted by his touch. Her mark was proof of his ownership of her. Everyone who saw it would know this. Even in death, he was still able to torment her._

_He was laughing again. That cruel, uncaring laugh that enjoyed her fear. Her pain doubled and she fell to the ground and screamed._

_"Kazue! Kazue!"_

* * *

Someone was shaking her. She bolted upright in bed, shaking. The light turned on and Kazue saw her mother leaning over her, worry etched on her face. 

"Kazue, are you okay? We heard you screaming, and when I came in you were clutching your neck and rolling around the bed," Koyami explained.

"I-I'm fine. Just a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke you up," she apologized shakily. "I just...need some air."

Ignoring her mother's small noise of protest, she strode out the front door into the cool night air. Her neck was still stinging with the ghost of the pain of her dream. Koyami followed her outside and placed a hand on her shoulder. Kazue winced and pulled away.

"Are you sure you're okay? You're still shaking."

"He's dead, but he won't leave me alone," she said simply, then turned around and walked back into the house. "I'm fine, really. I'm going back to bed."

Though Kazue had a surprisingly easy time falling asleep again, the glare of the early morning sun filled her room far too soon for her tastes. But she forced herself up. There were things to be done and places to be. Namely, the doctor's.

"Name?"

"Morikawa Kazue."

"Room 201 B. It's down the hall to the left."

Kazue followed the instructions to the cheerfully painted doctor's office in room 201 B. A stout nurse with peroxide blonde hair named Meiko entered shortly and started asking her routine questions. What was her full name? Her age? Rank? Was she allergic to any medications? Has she suffered any recent injuries?

"Morikawa Kazue. 17. Chuunin. No. Yes, I broke my arm a few weeks ago."

"Alright then, I'm going to check your height, weight, and such until Dr. Kanashi gets here," explained Meiko, leading her over to a scale. Dr. Kanashi entered as Kazue was having her heartbeat checked.

"My goodness! Your heartrate just spiked. A lot," Meiko exclaimed. Kazue shook her head a couple times and apologized.

"Gomen. It's just that he looked like...someone else for a second."

For an instant, her eyes took in Dr. Kanashi's grey hair, pulled back in a low pony, and glasses and thought that Yakushi Kabuto had just walked into the room. Except for the doctor's hair was grey with old age and his glasses were more squarish than round. Now that she got a good look at him, he looked nothing like Kabuto-san.

"Okay, then, moving on. Hokage-sama tells me you spent the past three years in the Hidden Sound, correct?"

"Four years, actually. And you make it sound like I was there by choice. I assure you, I was most definitely not there by choice," she corrected. After two hours of seemingly pointless tests to make sure she wasn't going to keel over and die anytime soon, Kazue found herself in a painfully white, painfully empty room being interrogated by a shinobi, Honto Miki, whose job it was to make sure she wasn't brainwashed by the Sound to assassinate the Hokage or something, and to make sure she wasn't crazy.

"So, are you happy to finally be back in Konoha?"

"I'm relieved to be home, yes."

"How about your life in the Sound? Do you have any regrets now that you've left?"

A dark look crossed Kazue's face that did not go unnoticed by her interrogator. Honto made a note on his paper.

"Honto-san, the only regret I have is that I wasn't the one choking the life out of that bastard instead of Uchiha Sasuke-san," she said plainly.

"Were there any people there who treated you well?"

"No."

"I see. They treated you badly then?" he asked. Kazue gave him an incredulous look. _Naw, they gave me candy and room service_. She rolled up her sleeves and pointed to a scar on her left upper arm.

"That's where they sewed my arm back on after it got cut off because one of Orochimaru's students needed to practice his swordplay," she spat, then pointed to another one on the other arm. "And this was just because he felt like it. So yeah, they treated me badly, Einstein."

"I see this is a sensitive subject for you, so let's talk about something else. Do you resent Konoha for not rescuing you?"

"No. How are they supposed to rescue me if they don't even know where I am?"

"Do you find it hard readjusting to normal life?"

"Kind of. It's weird having a bed and shoes. I'm still getting used to being home."

"Have you given any thought to your future?" he asked, folding his hands on his desk. Kazue laughed humorlessly.

"Future? Ha! Until a few days ago I _had_ no future. Up until the door to that cell opened, I _knew_ I was going to die there. There was no 'after I escape.' No 'when I get home.' I was destined to die alone in a cold, dark place. That Sasuke-san would manage to kill Orochimaru never once crossed my mind. If you had asked me a year or two ago what I'd be doing right now, I'd tell you I'd be dead."

"You seem to be quite bitter about your whole ordeal."

"You could say that," Kazue said, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face with more vigor than would normally be expected. "When I first realized that I was going to die in the Sound, I shut myself down. I got rid of all my emotions. Pain, both emotional and physical, is more bearable when you numb the wound. Fear, joy, hope, love; what use did I have for them? Fear will get you killed _real_ quick, the rest will kill you slowly."

She realized she was mad. Really mad. Not at Dr. Honto, but at everything. Mad that she had to spend four years in hell while people like Honto got to sit in their nice homes with their families. Mad that she had allowed herself to be captured. Mad that it had to happen to her. Mad at the world.

It had been a long time since she'd let anything slip through her emotional shield like that, especially anger. The last time she'd gotten mad, she'd struck out at a guard for being too rough. That hadn't ended too well. She had nearly broken his nose, so he and two of his buddies had beaten her to a bloody pulp. Not exactly an eye for an eye, but then, the scales were never tipped in the favor of the imprisoned. Kazue felt weak for showing her feelings. She'd learned that anything you let out could be used against you.

"And now? What are you feeling now? You certainly aren't the stoic rock you were when you came in. What are you feeling right now?"

"Anger. I'm feeling very angry right now, and that's kind of weirding me out. Like I have a crack in my armor or something. I feel vulnerable for letting my emotion out. Is there some psychoanalytical word for that?"

"Yeah. It's called being human," Honto told her with a small smile. Kazue returned it with an apologetic twitch of her lips that resembled a smile.

"I'm still getting used to that, too."

* * *

A half-hour later, Kazue walked out of the med center with a clean bill of health and an appointment card to see a shrink every week. She wasn't in the best of moods. One unfortunate effect of letting her anger slip, she found, was that anger was the only thing she could feel at the moment. All her "happy feelings" were still locked up and unable to help combat her foul mood. Going straight home, she headed right for the one thing that she knew would make her feel better. Her trunk of weapons. 

"Hah!" she cried, striking the training post with one of her tantos. She struck over and over until she had to stop and lean against a nearby tree, panting heavily.

"Feel better?" came a voice from behind her. It was Tsukino, smirking in amusement.

"Yeah, actually," she replied. "Did you need anything?"

"Dad wanted to know if you could deliver an order of blades for him. He's been swamped with work the past few weeks, what with the chuunin exams coming up, so he doesn't have time to go all the way across town. I'd go, but I have mission room duty. They get pretty pissed if I show up late," Tsukino informed her, not sounding particularly excited about mission room duty. She didn't blame him. The place was steaming hot in the summer, frigid in the winter, dull as an academy lecture, and always seemed to have the ability to slow time to a dead stop. New chuunins always seemed to get stuck with mission room duty, while the veterans got the good tasks. _Speaking of tasks, I should go deliver that order now_.

"Just bring this down to the Hyuuga compound. They already paid and everything, so all you have to do is bring the thing there. Oh, and your mother wants you to pick up some leeks on your way back," Tenichi instructed, handing her a finely crafted katana. What a Hyuuga needed with a sword was beyond her, but hey, who was she to question the customer?

Making it to her destination in good time, considering she lived on the outskirts of town and the Hyuugas were on the opposite side of Konoha. She rang the doorbell and was ushered politely inside and taken to Hyuuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuuga clan.

"Here's the katana you ordered, Hyuuga-san," she said, bowing politely.

"Ah, thank you. Very nice, give your father my compliments. He glanced over Kazue's shoulder as someone entered the room behind her.

"Am I interrupting?"

"Not at all, Neji. In fact, would you please escort miss Morikawa out?" he asked. Neji gave an almost undetectable look of irritation at being ordered to do something by Hiashi before silently walking alongside Kazue.

"Hey, stranger. Remember me?" she said to her old friend. Neji stopped and looked at her in puzzlement. "Um, sorry, but do I know you? You look kind of familiar, but..."

"Morikawa Kazue, back from the dead," she said, spreading her hands in front of her in a "ta-da" sort of way. Neji gaped at her.

"But...you're dead. I went to your funeral three years ago."

Kazue looked down at herself, poked her arm a few times, and put two fingers to her wrist.

"Yep, definitely alive," she nodded. Neji rolled his pupil-less eyes. "Where have you been? When'd you get back?"

She explained where she had been the past four years and that she'd just gotten back yesterday. He didn't burst into tears and glomp her or slap her on the back and tell her how great it was to see her again; he wasn't the touchy-feely kind of guy. All he said was, "I am glad you aren't dead, to say the least."

"Me too."

Neji's lips twitched in a near smile that said he was happier than he was letting on. He asked her what her plans were, now that she was a free woman.

"Hm, that seems to be the question of the day," she commented, then shrugged. "I'm going to take a week or two to just relax and do absolutely nothing and not worry about a thing. Then, who knows. Maybe I'll go back to doing missions. I hear the chuunin selection exams are coming up. Maybe I'll help out with that or something. You said you went to my funeral. I wasn't aware that I had a funeral."

"Hai, you have your name on the monument to those killed in the line of duty, in fact," he told her with faint amusement. Kazue glanced at the clock and apologized, saying that she had to be going. They said their goodbyes, promising to train together sometime. Just like old times. As Kazue disappeared down the path, she called back, "Good seeing you again, Neji-kun!"

Hiashi came up behind Neji as he waved casually to his retreating friend.

"You two seem to know each other. Who is she?"

"A dead girl I used to train with," he replied cryptically, walking away to leave Hiashi to his puzzlement.

* * *

**Shiori's blurbs:**

Sorry this chapter took so damn long. I started drivers ed a week ago (about time seeing as I'm almost seventeen) and it is literally sucking the will to write out of me. Three-and-a-half hours straight in an unconditioned library reading little manuals and watching painfully bad movies on how to drive a frickin car. I don't even want a license! So there's my little rant and/or excuse why I haven't been writing. But the good news is, I won four blue ribbons in the county fair for some artwork I entered (squee!). Thanks to **destiny-penguin** and **NeferNeferi** for reviewing!

By the way, after reading through what I've written so far, I've decided to change the category from General/Romance to Angst/Romance. I never intended it to be this angsty, but this story seems to have a mind of its own.


	3. Iruka's Offer

Kazue knelt on the soft grass that still held a hint of morning dew. It was a beautiful day out. The sky was a flawless blue, birds were calling out their songs, and the world just seemed to glow. Maybe she was just in a good mood. Maybe it was the feeling of complete freedom that had yet to wear off since she returned home. Whatever the case, everything seemed beautiful and she regretted having taken for granted the peace and tranquility of Konohagakure. Closing her eyes, Kazue drank in the sweet smell of the air. Air that didn't reek of dank, musty stone, crowded human bodies, and hopelessness. It was a very welcome scent.

She gripped the kunai in her hand, which glinted brightly in the sun. She had one last thing to take care of. There was a satisfying _chink_ of blade against stone as she carefully chiseled off the inscription on the smooth marble.

**Morikawa Kazue, age 13.**

Her name was surrounded by others; some she recognized, most she didn't. All had died serving Konoha. She hadn't. It seemed unfair to the other names on the monument. She continued chiseling, even as she felt someone approach from a few yards away.

"Hey, you! What are you doing?!" they called out, running the last few feet to where she was kneeling in the grass, kunai in hand. They probably thought she was defacing the monument or something. Kazue didn't look up. She didn't need to. She already knew who it was.

"Fixing it," she answered.

"What do you mean, fixing it?" he demanded.

"I'm not dead."

"Come again?"

"I'm not dead, so my name doesn't belong on this monument to honor the dead," she explained, all the while chiseling away. The man leaned in to look over her shoulder. The inscription was mostly gone, but still legible to the deciphering eye.

"Who are the flowers for, Iruka-sensei?" she asked as she caught a whiff of roses. Iruka laughed, a sound that was good-natured and caring to reflect the man it came from.

"You were always full of surprises, kid," he chuckled, shaking his head. Kazue stood up and brushed off her pants. She now stood at an even level with her old sensei.

"I'm no child anymore, sensei."

"No, no you're not," he agreed.

Iruka could see in the way her brows furrowed thoughtfully, the way her eyes held knowledge of evil in its purest form, the way the frown she was wearing seemed to fit her face as a familiar expression, the way she gripped her kunai loosely yet still firmly so she was ready for any sudden attack as if it was an automatic instinct for her. It wasn't just time that was responsible. That particular look was one the academy teacher saw on those who had seen too much too early in life. It was usually the young "geniuses" whose childhoods were cut short by achieving high ranks at young ages who had this look. Or those who had witnessed terrible things and survived to be haunted by them. Or those who finally realized the world was cruel and ready to devour those who were weak.

"No class today?"

"Field trip. I have a few hours until they get back. Listen, I could use some help later on today. I'm supposed to be teaching the kids proper throwing techniques. The guy who was supposed to help called in sick. You look like you could use something to do," he offered. Kazue nodded.

"Sure, I'd like that."

He told her to meet him in the classroom at 1:30, then explained what she'd be doing. It didn't sound too hard. All she really had to do was make sure the kids didn't hit each other -or them- during the lesson. When 1:30 finally rolled around and she began helping her former sensei set up, however, Kazue was seriously reconsidering. Now that she thought of it, giving twenty ten-year-olds sharp objects and then _telling_ them to throw them seemed less than safe. The classroom filled with the young pre-genins, still hyper from their field trip. Kazue stood quietly to the side as Iruka took roll.

"All right, before we go outside and get started, I'd like to introduce you to Kazue. She's one of my former students, and she just got back from a...mission. She'll be helping out today, so be nice."

A pencil flew through the air towards Kazue. She snatched it out of the air before it hit her. Iruka rounded on the classroom.

"Who threw that?!"

"Sorry, sensei, just seeing if she was any good!" shouted a small blonde girl in the back. The class burst out laughing.

"Harami! Detention after school!"

The little blonde rebel, Harami, just rolled her eyes. _There's one in every class_, Kazue thought wryly.

"I'll take this half with shurikens and you take the other half with kunai," Iruka instructed. Kazue noticed Harami was part of "her" half. She raised an eyebrow at him and gestured at said troublemaker with her eyes. Iruka smiled innocently and walked away.

"Alright, you ten, you're with me. Grab your kunai from that box over there and meet me over at those targets."

She showed them the proper way to hold and throw them before having them pick a target and have a go at it.

"Throw at the targets, not each other," she reminded them, looking directly at Harami, who gave her a "who, me?" look. Surveying the students, she noticed one who was struggling. The small brunette had managed to sink a few kunai into the target, but most were just bouncing off.

"Hey, what's your name?" Kazue asked.

"Yuu," the girl said shyly.

"Well, Yuu, you look like you could use a few tips. First off, you're holding it too tightly. It's not gonna jump away from you."

Yuu loosened her death grip on the weapon and looked up at Kazue for approval.

"Good, now look at where you want to aim. Where is it you want to hit?" she asked. Yuu look confused.

"The center of course. I'm going to get a bullseye so Takashi will stop saying I throw like a girl," she said confidently. Kazue shook her head.

"No, you don't want to aim for the center," she told the girl, who gave her a bewildered look. "Here's a secret I learned from my sensei. You want to aim to hit all the way _through_ the target. See that tree behind the target?"

Yuu nodded.

"Aim for that tree and I guarantee it won't bounce off," she told her. "The same thing goes for taijutsu. When you're hitting, aim to hit all the way through your enemy, not to just hit them."

Yuu nodded enthusiastically and hurled the knife. It hit the wooden target with a loud _thunk_ that made everyone look over at them. Yuu shouted, "I did it! I did it!"

Harami walked over with her hands on her hips and stood looking Kazue right in the eye.

"How'd you do that?" she demanded. "Yuu couldn't hit the Hokage monument if she was standing on it. You talk to her thirty seconds and suddenly she's a natural."

Before Kazue had a chance to answer, a boy was tugging on her pants. He wasn't the only one. Suddenly, her half of the group seemed to think she was some kind of miracle worker. Everyone seemed to need help. Except Harami, who sullenly stayed to her target while Kazue worked with the others.

When Iruka (finally) announced a half hour break, Kazue was busy patching up two students; one who had caught a ricochet, and the other who was...well...just plain clumsy.

"Aw, quit crying, Yumiko!" snapped the boy, Rokuro, who had gotten the stray kunai to the leg. Kazue ripped off a length of gauze and wrapped it around Yumiko's cut.

"Don't worry, he's only picking on you to cover up that he was crying when I pulled the kunai out," Kazue whispered, giving the girl a wink. Yumiko giggled. Iruka strode over with a two flasks of water. He tossed one to her and sat down on the rock next to her as the two students scurried off.

"You're pretty good with the kids, Kazue. They really seem to take a liking to you," he complimented. Kazue shrugged.

"What can I say, I'm the oldest of seven siblings. I know how to handle kids."

She took a drink of her water. "So what's that Harami girl's problem? What's with the attitude?"

"Her dad died last summer on a mission. They were really close. She's been like this since it happened," Iruka explained. "I can't say I blame her, though. I was the same way when my parents died. I was around the same age, too. I don't know what I'm going to do with her. I'm just worried that her bad attitude will interfere with her missions once she's on a team."

"I think I have an idea," Kazue said, leaving Iruka as she strode over to Harami's station. The pale blonde was determinedly throwing kunai after kunai at the target. She had very good aim; and a good throwing arm, judging by how deeply the knives were embedded in the wood.

"You're very good. I came over to see if you needed any help, but it looks like I'm just wasting my time," Kazue lied. Harami let out an indignant _hmph_ and otherwise ignored her.

"It's time to switch to shuriken, now," Kazue reminded her. She _hmph_-ed again, but walked over to get a set of shuriken. Kazue watched silently for a few moments while Harami sent repeated hails of shuriken at the target, all the while keeping a sour look on her face that said she would rather be doing anything but this.

"Try throwing them at a little less of an angle. You're over-correcting for the wind speed."

"Shut up, I don't need you to tell me what to do," snapped Harami. "No one can tell me what to do."

"You, Harami, have quite a problem with authority. Any particular reason, or are you just naturally that unpleasant an individual?"

"It's their fault my father died. They were the ones who ordered him to go on that mission," she said bitterly. "I won't let them order _me_ around like that."

_Aha,_ thought Kazue. She asked her what kind of mission her father had been assigned. Harami scowled and replied, "How should I know, it was classified. All I know is that it was some stupid A-rank. Why do you care? I don't need your pity. You have no idea what it's like to lose the person closest to you."

"No, no I don't know what it's like to lose a parent," she responded. "But I know what it's like to lose everything."

Harami looked at Kazue as if she didn't quite understand what she was saying, but was too stubborn to ask. Kazue picked up a few shuriken and joined the girl.

"Let me tell you a story about a girl who was also ordered on a mission that cost her her life," she began. "Four years ago, there was a girl named Morikawa Kazue. She had two loving parents and four younger siblings that looked up to her. She had just been promoted to chuunin, and she was happy. Her life had never been better. Then, one day, she was assigned a mission. Nothing too hard, all she had to do was escort a politician back home to the Rice Field Country. It was only a C-rank mission, so they let her handle it on her own. It was her first solo mission, and Kazue was excited. She said goodbye to her family and best friends and told them she'd see them in a week. After delivering the man safely back to his home, Kazue headed back the next day. A few miles outside the town, she met a man on the road. He was lost and needed directions to the village Kazue had just come from. So she instructed him how to get there, when out of nowhere, she was attacked. It was a trap. It happened so fast that she didn't even have time to fight back. Before she knew it, they drugged her and she woke up in the hands of the enemy some time later. Kazue spent four years there, with no hope of ever seeing her home again. No hope of ever fulfilling her dream of becoming a jounin sensei. No hope of falling in love and having her own family. Hell, every night she went to sleep not knowing if she would live through the next day. Kazue lost everything on that mission, but she doesn't blame the people who assigned her the mission. She came to realize that no one was at fault. That it had to have been fate. Maybe she was destined to spend her life as a prisoner to some of the cruelest beings alive. She came to accept this and stop hoping that someone would come save her. Then something happened that Kazue never expected: someone _did_ save her. She was given a second chance at life, away from the bars of her cell and the hands of her captors. She returned home to her family and got to see her five brothers and sisters again."

"What, no 'And then she lived happily ever after?' And I thought you said you only had four younger siblings," Harami interrupted.

"I did, but sometime when I was gone my mother had another kid. I had another sister for three years and never even knew it. I don't know about the happily ever after part, though. Cut me some slack, four days ago I was still a prisoner."

"That explains why you look like the living dead," Harami scoffed, but underneath Kazue could see her little speech had affected her. She shook her head and said, "Whatever, kid. My point is that shit happens, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's no one's fault, and you just have to move on. I'm not saying it's no big deal that your dad died. For you it is a big deal, but your father died to protect you, me, Iruka-sensei, and everyone else in this village. What would he say if he saw you now?"

"Kazue-sempai, Kazue-sempai! Taro keeps throwing shuriken at me!" shouted the girl, Yumiko, whom she had patched up earlier. Kazue gave Harami a little salute and said, "Well, duty calls. You think about what I said. Or don't. I don't really care. You're not my kid," then walked away.

* * *

Dinner that night was...interesting. It was exactly the way she had always remembered. The whole family at the table, plus a couple others. Koyami's attitude was always the more the merrier. They were always encouraged to bring their friends home for dinner. It was odd getting back into the swing of things again. On the plus side, she got to meet the twins' teammate, Shin-Ren. He was polite, almost unnaturally polite, but the twins insisted he was a good fighter. She also got to meet Tsukino's teammates, Mitsuko and Daisuke. They were nice. Everyone seemed to be giving Kazue all the attention. Go figure. 

"Tsukino's told us all about you," Mitsuko said. "He always said that he'd fight the entire Sound himself to get you back."

Tsukino rolled his eyes and concentrated hard on his food to hide his blush. Daisuke clapped him on the back and made a sarcastic comment.

"So what was it like?" asked Shin-Ren.

"Horrible," she answered and left it at that. He looked at her like he wanted to ask more, but he didn't. Smart kid.

"I heard you ran into your old taijutsu partner on your little errand," Tenichi commented, poking at his soumen.

"Yeah, Neji didn't even recognize me. He's a lot different. Did you know he made jounin?"

"Really? Well, good for him," Koyami nodded. "My, how time does fly. I remember seeing him fight that Kyuu-er-Naruto kid at the chuunin exams. It seems like it wasn't that long ago."

Hanako and Moriko were giggling across the table at each other. They had been since the subject of Neji had come up. Kazue gave them an inquiring look, which for some reason caused them to howl with laughter even louder.

"Care to share, you two?" Tenichi said, eyebrows raised in amusement. They both shook their twelve-year-old heads vigorously and attempted to stifle their laughter behind their hands. Shin-Ren pushed his glasses up and said, "They're just giggling because they both think that that Neji guy is, quote, 'gorgeous on legs, even if he does look kinda like a girl.' OW!"

Kazue assumed that the twins had kicked Shin-Ren under the table. Shaking her head, she went back to her meal.

* * *

When Kazue went to sleep that night, she was haunted by the same nightmare as the previous night. In the Sound, she had never had problems with nightmares, since she was living them. As the days passed, and she was aggravated to find that the dreams persisted, despite her attempts at making them stop. She'd even tried sleeping with the old stuffed hippo she had when she was younger. No luck. Her best guess was to live with them until they (hopefully) went away. She kept herself occupied during the day by training. Occasionally, she would volunteer to help Iruka in class. Her therepist said it would help her "reconnect with her feelings." She also would hang out with her old team when they weren't busy with missions, though she had yet to actually train _with_ them. Kazue was afraid that there would be no place for her, so she mostly practiced with herself. She longed to have someone to spar with. If she sparred with any of her siblings, she would end up hurting them. Nana was a genjutsu user for a reason; she sucked at hand-to-hand combat. Hiroshi also lacked in this category as well, so she couldn't rely on either of them. Whenever she passed the Hyuuga estate, Kazue would try to detect a hint of Neji's chakra signature, but so far he had been curiously absent. Despite their promise to get together sometime soon, the two did not see each other until a week and a half after their first visit. 

It was late, maybe 11:00 or so. The night was cool and clear, and Kazue was perched comfortably on a tree branch just outside the gates of Konoha. She had taken to sneaking out every few nights to sleep outside. This night, however, she happened to sense the person she'd been looking for coming up the path toward her.

"How was your mission?" she asked. Neji started and looked up to see Kazue draped lazily on the limb directly above him. She reminded him of a cat; resting seemingly peacefully, yet alert and ready to pounce. He sincerely hoped she wasn't planning on pouncing. He was already sore from his mission. He wouldn't have put it past the old Kazue, but this new Kazue seemed much more reserved and mature.

"Fine. It wasn't too hard," Neji answered. "Why are you up there, anyway?"

"Because I _can_ be," the dark haired kunoichi replied, like it was the greatest of privileges. "I'm outside the walls of the village, free to come and go as I please. Not locked up like an animal in a cage. I'm up here because no one can tell me not to."

"Fair enough," he shrugged. "So what have you been up to?"

"Keeping busy. I'm helping Iruka at the academy, plus doing some unofficial waitressing here and there at the Cafe. It's fun helping out with the kids, but there's this girl Harami that I just don't get. Yesterday she made this other girl, Yuu, cry when she put a spider in her hair. I swear it was the biggest spider I've seen outside of...well...the biggest I've seen in Konoha anyway. Harami has so much potential as a shinobi, but her attitude gets in the way. Yuu is pretty good, too. She just doesn't have enough confidence in herself. She's a fast little bugger. You should've seen her run when she had that spider on her."

Neji snorted. "I can't stand spiders."

"You, Hyuuga Neji, genius of the Hyuuga clan, afraid of spiders?"

"I never said I was afraid of them," he insisted. "I just hate them, that's all. My neck is getting sore from talking up at you."

Neji set his travel pack down at the base of the tree and hopped up to sit next to her. "There, now what were we talking about again?"

"How you're afraid of spiders," Kazue reminded him. "Now, I don't seem to remember this particular phobia of yours. What brought this on?"

"I told you, I just don't like them. Awhile ago I fought this spider guy from the Sound when we were supposed to keep them from getting Sasuke. I killed him, but he damn near returned the favor. There. Happy?"

"Oh, so you're the one who killed Kidomaru? Good. I hated him too. He always beat the shit outta me whenever I had to face him."

"Face him?"

"Yeah. He used the prisoners who were shinobi to train his little team of elites," she said, her eyes going dark and angry. Neji noticed, even in the darkness of the forest. He wasn't sure what to do, having no experience with these kinds of things. He did the only thing he could think of. Change the subject.

"You've gotten stronger since I last saw you, Kazue. A lot stronger. Did they train you at all in the Sound?" he asked.

"About a month after I was captured, Kabuto-sama was performing a test to strengthen his warriors. During one of the sessions, Orochimaru-sama happened to be overseeing the test." Kazue's face had gone blank and unreadable. She went to that empty place inside her where emotions were sealed tightly away. "He saw me fighting and thought I had 'potential.' So Kabuto took me aside one day to one of their interrogation rooms. Orochimaru was there. It was the first time I actually saw him."

_"Do you know why you are here?" asked the tall, pale man in front of her. Kazue kept her head down in a respectful bow as she answered in a trembling voice, "N-no, sir."_

_"I'm here to train you as one of my shinobi, Morikawa Kazue." He gripped her chin, and Kazue flinched from his cold touch. "You have much potential, and such darkness hidden in those eyes of yours. I want to help you embrace your full abilities."  
_

_Kazue started. She couldn't -wouldn't- train for the most wanted man in all five Great Shinobi Countries._

_"With all due respect," Kazue replied in a near whisper, turning her head away from the sannin, "I think I'll go back to my cell, now."_

_Orochimaru laughed. The grip on Kazue's chin tightened. "And I think I didn't give you a choice in the matter."_

_He shoved her backwards forcefully. She fell into a fighting stance out of habit. Orochimaru came at her__ fast__, aiming a roundhouse kick at the side of her neck, his foot shimmering with chakra. Kazue dodged, confusion and fear racing through her mind. Was he going to kill her for refusing his "offer"? What was happening? Why was he attacking her with such easily avoidable attacks if he planned on killing her?_

_"Defend yourself, leaf-nin," he laughed, striking at her again._

"He offered to train me as one of his ninjas. I refused, but he did anyway. He would attack me, and I'd have to defend myself. Defend myself or die was what it came down to. He trained me, and I hated it. I was ashamed; I felt like I was betraying Konoha with every session that passed. I hated it, and I hated myself, but I was too much of a coward to just let him kill me," Kazue explained, Neji listening quietly beside her. He noticed how her hands were gripping the branch tight enough that her knuckles were turning white, indicating her anger rising. The young Hyuuga touched her hand lightly. "Hey, wanting to live doesn't make you a coward. Everyone thinks being a shinobi is all about being able to die for your country, but I say it's being able to live for it. Dying is the easy way out."

"Thanks, Neji," Kazue said, her lips turning up at the corners for an instant. But she wasn't done with her story.

_Orochimaru kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying into the wall. She spit out blood for the umpteenth time that day. He was taunting her, she knew that. He loomed over her, chuckling lightly._

_"You are weak. Why are you weak?" he asked. "It's because you keep your strength locked up inside so tightly that it cripples you as a fighter. Release it!"_

_With that last statement, Orochimaru threw her towards the other wall. This time, Kazue twisted in the air and sprung off the wall to land in a crouch on the floor. She jumped back when he threw two kunai at her. They bit into the ground in front of her. He wasn't throwing them at her, but to her. He had never let her use weapons before. She lunged forward with the knives, slightly larger than the standard leaf-issue kunai, at the snake ninja. He sidestepped her easily and did three things at once. He grabbed her right arm and pinned it behind her back, kunai and all, forced her left hand to press the other one against her own neck, and twisted her neck so his face was inches from hers. He had a look of wicked delight, like a cat playing with a mouse; or would that be a snake?_

_"There, there it is," he hissed. "Such rage behind those eyes. Unleash it and you'll unleash your full strength. Your strength is in your rage, leaf-nin."_

_She didn't understand what he was saying. She was plenty mad right now, what did he mean by unlocking her rage? Kazue knew that once she mastered that day's "lesson" she'd be able to go back to her cell. That was the only reason she even tried. She knew she was slowly descending to the point where she'd be exactly what he wanted; his loyal subordinate. As much as she fought it, she saw his plan. Eventually she'd simply stop fighting his will. Kazue let out a strangled cry, halfway between a scream and a growl. She twisted out of his grasp and kicked him in the head. She wouldn't let him control her._

_"You won't control me!" she cried, rushing at him with all the force -and rage- she had. Kazue performed her most rapid, most damaging taijutsu moves she had, even though Orochimaru blocked every one of them. A delighted look crossed his face._

_"Good, leaf-nin. You can be taught," he laughed. He hit her once in the back of the neck, and everything went black. This was how many of her sessions ended, with her waking up an hour later, dumped on the floor of her cell. She knew she had somehow completed the lesson because of the fact that her wounds were healed. If she had a bad session in Orochimaru's opinion, he just sent her back without having Kabuto heal her._

"After that, he gave me this."

Kazue pulled back her hair to show Neji her cursed seal. "He taught me to channel my rage through it to attain unbelievable strength."

She laughed, a humorless chuckle. "It's funny. This mark is my greatest strength as well as my greatest torture. When I activate it, I feel invincible and free. All the rage and fury he taught me to gather, finally released. Like I'm holding a fist to keep it from escaping, and then suddenly I'm able to let go and just let it consume me. I love the feeling, but I hate it. I know that this is just what he wants. A way to control me. I can always feel the mark on me, like it has its own weight. It's always there reminding me of him. I hated him with my entire being, but God help me, I worshipped him. He was so strong and powerful, but terrible and cruel. I knew that if I were to suddenly drop dead he wouldn't even blink, but I didn't care. I loved how he gave me a way to let go and just be angry and hurt people. I know how wrong it is, that a shinobi should be constantly in control of their emotions. Even now, I can feel the rage inside me, like a dam ready to burst free as soon as I lose control. While I was there, I learned to shut down all emotions so they couldn't use them against me. I guess I did a good job. Now the only thing I seem to feel is the rage."

She said the word rage like it should be capitalized. Neji put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. It was nice just having a friend there.

* * *

**Shiori's blurbs:**

Sorry that one took so long. I've been out of town. Review lovies!


	4. Back in the Game

Neji put an arm around Kazue's shoulder and pulled her in close for a brief hug. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. It was nice just having a friend there to listen, Kazue thought.

"It was nice talking to you, Neji. Thanks for listening. It's probably weird hearing someone you haven't seen in years pouring their heart out to you. It's been too long since I've been able to talk to someone about something other than survival. I need to relearn how to shut up," Kazue said, intending that last bit to be a joke, but said the whole thing too seriously to sound like a joke. Neji didn't seem to notice.

"No problem. It's refreshing for me to be able to talk to someone about something other than training or clan politics," he assured her. They sat there for a few more seconds in silence before Neji stood up and said, "I've got a mission report to turn in, so I guess I'll see you around."

He jumped gracefully to the ground. Kazue called back a quick goodbye before leaning back on her tree branch and going back to her previous task of sleeping. This time, she didn't have any trouble falling asleep and the nightmares weren't as bad.

* * *

"Good job, Takashi, just keep your weight on your left foot and you'll have it," Kazue instructed. She really enjoyed working with the students, but today her mind just wasn't on the lesson she was supposed to be assisting with. Iruka noticed, and asked her about it during one of the ten minute breaks. 

"So what's up?"

"Oh, nothing. I've just been thinking about going back to doing missions, that's all. I haven't even trained with my old team since I got back. I keep making excuses whenever they ask. Daichi was my replacement; he's been part of team 16 for four years now. Before I was captured, I was only with the team for two years. I don't want to mess up what they've got going, you know?"

He nodded thoughtfully before answering, "Hm, that is a hard one. Let me ask you this, though. When I taught you back in the academy, who was Nana's closest friend?"

"Me?"

"Yep, and who was it that staged that little incident involving my lunch and an exploding tag?"

"It was Hiroshi's idea, but me and Nana were the ones who actually did it," she answered, smiling a little at the memory of Iruka-sensei's food plastered on his face.

"And only person who could keep Hiroshi and Nana from ripping each other apart?" he continued.

"Me."

"Exactly. Why do you think I put you three on a team together? It's because you were -_are_- so close. From the time you formed your little 'terrible trio' in your early years at the academy, your teamwork has been amazingly strong. You were one of the few teams that didn't need to go off on some survival training to bond with your team. You were already connected at the hip. Don't worry about trying to work in Daichi's shadow. He's a good kid. You two will work together fine. As for him being with the team longer than you were, that's not true. As far as I'm concerned, team 16 was established from the day you three met," he assured her, ruffling her hair like he did with the younger students.

When Kazue finished at the ninja academy, she took Iruka's advice and went straight to the training ground where her team would be, bounding over rooftops and landing directly behind Nana.

"Am I too late to join in?"

"Kaz!" Nana screeched, glomping her. "Finally, you're training with us again!"

"What took you so damn long?" Hiroshi laughed. Kazue shrugged and replied, "Gimme some credit for even showing up at all, but I do want to be doing missions again. I've been away from the team way too long."

"Glad to have you back, kid. I say we get started by having you and Daichi spar. There's no better way to get to know someone than kicking the snot out of each other on the training field," Koji suggested. "Go ahead and use any weapons or jutsus you want, just don't kill each other."

His methods of teaching were always a bit...warped, but somehow they worked. Kazue took her fighting stance, facing Daichi, about ten feet from Nana, Koji, and Hiroshi. They bowed, keeping eye contact. Daichi put his hand on the sheath of the katana at his waist, and Kazue reached for one of her many scrolls. A familiar thrill went through her, and her seal prickled as if impatient. Then, at an unseen signal, both combatants jumped back several feet. Before either of them landed they had their weapons drawn. Daichi lunged with his blade as Kazue simultaneously flung open her scroll, bit her thumb, and dragged the bleeding finger across the surface. With a poof of smoke, a long chain with a handle on one end that was as long as her forearm and a spiked ball on the other end appeared. She swung it just in time to stop his katana. The chain wrapped around his blade, and with a powerful tug, Kazue jerked it out of his hands. She threw a handful of shuriken (not very hard, as she wasn't planning on killing him), which Daichi dodged easily by rolling to the side.

"Nice one Kaz!" Hiroshi cheered.

"Kaz, your foot!" shouted Nana. Daichi formed a series of seals as Kazue noticed a thin wire wrapped around her ankle.

"_Katon! Ryuuka no jutsu!_"

A torrent of flames erupted from Daichi's mouth and followed the wire to envelope Kazue. Just as Koji opened his mouth to call Daichi off, a burst of blue chakra blew the flames away in a gust of hot wind. Kazue stood, unharmed, with a smug look of determination. Daichi rushed at her and jumped into the air to deliver a roundhouse kick to her side. Kazue grabbed his ankle and twisted it so he tumbled to the ground. Sweeping his free leg, he knocked Kazue over as well. Then he pounced on her, kunai in hand. Kazue planted her feet into Daichi's gut and threw him off. He rolled as he landed and had a second katana drawn before anyone could blink. Kazue, however, was prepared for his attack. She summoned a manriki chain (like nunchaku, but with a way longer chain) and swung it at his blade. Daichi dodged it and tensed up his arm for a finishing blow, clearly intending to pin her and end the match. Kazue, on the other hand, had no intention of letting him win that easily. In the Sound, there was no giving in to your opponent. You fought to win if you wanted to live. Even if it was just a practice match, the mindset was still the same. Catching the blade with the chain of her weapon, she deflected the sword and grabbed his shoulders. Then she kicked the back of his knee so that he fell, bringing Kazue down with him. He had his katana pressed to her neck and had her arms pinned.

"I win," he said and smiled. Kazue smirked. "Not so fast, hotshot."

Daichi looked down. She had his discarded kunai gripped with her foot, which was still bare, and pressed to his side.

"I believe we have a tie," Koji announced merrily. Nana and Hiroshi clapped and cheered. Kazue stood and helped Daichi up. Koji clapped them both energetically on the back and said, "Great job, you two. Now that Kazue's warmed up, how 'bout a nice five mile run?"

They let out a collective groan as Koji took off, leaving them no choice but to follow.

* * *

When Kazue arrived at the cafe after training, she found herself on kitchen duty. Well, sort of. She was attempting to do dishes while avoiding spurts of water coming from the twins, who were using water jutsus to rinse the plates, and ward off a headache at the same time. Oh yeah, and Ryota and Kiku were chasing each other around the kitchen, laughing and screaming. Koyami soon came to her rescue, brandishing a pair of cooking tongs. 

"Hey you two, no running around in the kitchen. Hanako, Moriko, stop splashing water everywhere. Kazue, I've got customers and your brother took off on me. I need you to take orders, please," she instructed, and order was immediately restored. Koyami may be retired as a shinobi, but she could still take control like no one else.

"Hello, welcome to the Konoha Cafe and Eatery. Can I get you some menus?" she asked the three recently off-duty ninja.

"Yeah, thanks."

She got them a couple menus, took their orders, and brought it to the kitchen for her mother to take care of. When it was ready, she brought them their miso ramen, two orders of dango, and three orders of onigiri. Nothing out of the ordinary. She started wiping down the empty table next to them. They were talking about work. A lot of shinobi, especially those from the missions room and administration center, came to the Konoha Cafe for a change of scenery and good food. It was sort of an unwritten rule that anything overheard by the staff would remain confidential. It was a necessary rule that kept many resturaunts of Konoha in business. In Kazue's defense, she couldn't help but overhear. She wasn't eavesdropping...until she heard the words "confirmed connection to Otogakure village." Then she was eavesdropping.

"So, from the info we have, he has like four aliases. Not entirely unexpected for a mercenary wanted in just about every shinobi village on the map. He goes by Hachimoto Takumi, Saburou, Hikaru, and Masaru. It says here he specializes in kidnap for money. A lot of money. He'll work for anyone who'll hire him. If they can foot the bill. He did a lot of work for Orochimaru, supplying him with fresh test subjects. He's even taken a few from Konoha; three genin and two chuunin total that we know of. Only one of them is still alive."

Kazue gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white. She didn't know about the four false names, but she was quite familiar with the man. His real name was Rokuro, but in the Sound they called him "Death" or "Shinigami" because he was the one who brought new prisoners to Oto.

"We need to send a team to take him out before he assassinates the daimyo of the Grass Country. Our relations with Kuso are a bit shaky, and this mission is crucial to improve those ties, so we need to send someone who understands politics," said the tallest of the three. The man next to him nodded in agreement and added, "Yeah, definately. I think we should send two teams since we don't know his exact location. One team to guard the daimyo and one to find out who he's working for. We'll need someone good at information gathering, plus someone who's good at tracking would be ideal. Is that Inuzuka boy on any missions right now, Sachi?"

"I think he is, actually," replied the third man, Sachi. Kazue approached the table and asked, "Do you want me to bring your bill now?"

"We're just about done here, I think," said the tall one. She noticed Sachi looking at her somewhat suspiciously, like he knew she was eavesdropping and knew she knew something about Hachimoto. She attached small note to the bill and handed it to Sachi.

**See me for info on Hachimoto. My shift ends at five.**

He caught her eye and nodded once before leaving with the other two. He left a very generous tip. Kazue pocketed it and went back to cleaning tables. At five, she went outside and leaned up against the building until Sachi arrived.

"Hey," was all he said in greeting. Kazue nodded and said, "So what do you want to know?"

"How do you have information on Hachimoto that isn't in the ANBU file?"

"We've met, unfortunately. Before, you mentioned that only one person from Konoha has survived being captured by him," she began. "Well, you're looking at her. I can tell you a lot about this guy. He was a frequent visitor to the Sound during my imprisonment. If you're planning on killing him, I want to help. He's the reason I had to spend four years in living hell. Even if my information and experience leads to someone else killing him, I'll be satisfied."

"So this is strictly a revenge thing?" asked Sachi. Kazue shook her head. "Yes and no. Yes, I do want him to pay for what he did to me, but I also want him to pay for what he did to everyone else he captured and handed over to Orochimaru. I want to make sure no one else has to go through what I had to."

Sachi nodded slowly. He was beginning to feel a sense of respect for this girl. "Let's get started then. He's been hired to kill the daimyo of the Grass country. What do you think his plan is?"

Kazue thought for a moment before answering. "Hachimoto may be an evil bastard, but he's a true ninja. He prefers to stay in the shadows and strike when his prey isn't expecting. He'll probably spend a few days observing the daimyo's daily patterns and security. If security's tight, which I'm assuming it will be, he'll most likely plan a direct attack and kill all the guards first. It'll be quiet, though. He'll pick the security off one by one before they even realize anything is wrong. He also has two partners, Tetsuo and Sumiko. I've never seen them fight, so I don't know their full abilities. From what I've observed though, Tetsuo isn't the thinking type, but he's a skilled fighter. He loves killing and boasts about the people he's killed. He's wanted in pretty much every country from the Sand to the Mist, and he's got a reputation for ruthlessness. Hachimoto is the brains behind everything and the other two follow him. I think he's originally from the Lightning Country, but I could be wrong. I'm not sure about Sumiko. She's more of a silent threat. She doesn't brag about her abilities like Tetsuo, but just by looking at her you know she's thinking of all the ways she can give you a slow, agonizing death. Out of the three, she's the one who scares the shit out of me the most. She's young, too. Only fourteen or so."

"If you know so much about these guys, how come you haven't come forward with this information yet?" he asked. Kazue was getting tired of answering this kind of question. "Because my four years of being a prisoner to those bastards just ended a week ago. Forgive me for not being completely up to speed."

"Okay, sorry. So, any suggestions on who to send? Or at least what kind of shinobi to send?"

She nodded. "You were right about sending two teams. One to protect the daimyo at all times and one to find Hachimoto and his team. From there, we can find out who hired them and report back. I'd like to send my own team, including myself. I'd also like to request team Gai as the second team. I've worked with them before and we could use Neji's eyes."

Sachi smiled. "I figured you'd demand to go along. I'll have to discuss this with my superiors, but if you stop by tomorrow morning, I'm pretty sure I'll have a mission scroll for your team and team Gai."

"Good."

* * *

Kazue sat outside on the porch, avoiding her family. Breaking the news to her mother that she'd be going on a dangerous mission only a week after arriving home had not gone over well. She couldn't blame her, though. She just wished things didn't have to be so complicated. Soon she was joined by Kiku and Ryota. 

"Why is mommy sad, _ane_?" asked Kiku. Kazue put a hand on Kiku's head. "We had a fight, that's all."

"Why?" inquired Ryota. Kazue sighed. "She's worried about me going on a dangerous mission."

"Why do you have to go if it makes mommy so sad?" he continued.

"I just have to, Ryota. It's my duty."

Koyami called out to Ryota and Kiku, informing them it was time for bed. Kazue picked Kiku up and took Ryota by the hand. "Come on, you two. Time for bed."

She deposited Kiku in her small bed, tucked her in, and then did the same for Ryota. They demanded she told them a story, so she began her favorite bedtime story from when she was little.

"Fifteen years ago, there was a powerful demon called the Kyuubi..."

They listen, captivated, until she got to the part about the Yondaime's death.

"Why did he use that jutsu if he knew it would make him die?" queried the ever inquisitive Ryota.

"Well, sometimes when you love something, it means you have to sacrifice yourself to protect it. The Fourth Hokage loved Konoha more that anything, so he was willing to do anything to save it."

"Is that why you gotta go on a mission?" Ryota asked. Quite perceptive for a six-year-old. She nodded. "Yes, Ryota. I love this family, and I'll do anything to protect it. I have to go on this mission to make sure no one else has to lose a big sister...or a daughter."

The last part of her statement was aimed at Koyami, who had been standing outside the door for the entire story.

"You're really brave, _ane_. I wanna be just like you when I grow up," Ryota stated.

"Thanks, Ryota," Kazue said, kissing her brother's forehead and turning out the light. As she left, Kazue prepared to confront her mother in the hall, but she had already gone. The young kunoichi went soundlessly to her room to meditate before going to sleep.

* * *

By 7 o'clock the following morning, Kazue had already woken up, showered, eaten breakfast, informed Iruka that she wouldn't be coming in to help for awhile, gotten ready for her mission, and delivered six mission scrolls to her squad. The group accompanying her to the Grass Country would include Nana, Hiroshi, Daichi, Neji, Rock Lee, and surprisingly Tsukino. Neither team's former sensei was assigned the mission. Though she would have liked to have Koji-sensei with them, she was secretly glad that the eccentric Maito Gai and his professions of youth wouldn't be there. Besides, one jounin and six chuunin would be plenty, right? They were supposed to leave by nine, so Kazue ordered them all to meet in front of the gate at eight so she could fill them in on the specifics. 

"You're late," she stated sternly as Hiroshi strolled up at quarter after eight. The look on Kazue's face stopped any smart-ass excuse he may have offered. None of them could remember her ever having looked so serious.

"I'm going to be completely truthful with you guys," the green eyed kunoichi began. "The guy we're going after is the guy who pretty much ruined my life. I'm not gonna rest until he's dead. I'm in this mostly for revenge. I just wanted you all to know my motives before you think I'm so brave for taking on an A-rank mission so soon after my...release."

"We're behind you one-hundred percent," Nana said. The others nodded in agreement. After all, Kazue was their friend and they were quite willing to help her avenge herself.

"Thanks, guys," said Kazue. She then filled them in on the fine details before turning things over to Neji. He was, after all, the ranking jounin and technically the leader.

"Our formation will be just a standard block straight to the border of Kusa about two days travel from here, where we'll be meeting with a team of Grass-nin for further details," he explained, and five minutes later they were off. Kazue was back in the game.

* * *

Hours later, they were setting up camp for the night. There was a small fire going, and they all were sitting down having tasteless ration bars and watered down tea while talking about the mission. Sometime during the conversation, Kazue slipped off to cool down at a nearby stream and fill her canteen. 

"Hey, where'd Kazue go?" asked Daichi a little later. Tenten shrugged. "I dunno. She was here a second ago. See if Neji can see where she is."

"Over there. By the stream. She's just sitting there," he replied, pointing casually behind him and sipping his tea.

"That's just creepy," pointed out Hiroshi with a snicker, earning himself a smack from Nana.

"Could you go see what she's up to?" Tsukino asked Neji quietly. "She's been disappearing off on her own a lot, especially at night. I'm kind of worried about her, but she won't tell me what's eating her."

Neji nodded at stood up. He could see Tsukino's concern for his older sister, but didn't think he had anything to worry about. Kazue was a strong girl. She could take care of herself. Nevertheless, he picked his way through the brush until he came upon the dark haired kunoichi. She was splashing water on her face and neck to cool herself off and remove the dust and grime of the day's travel. He watched with his byakugan activated as she lifted up her hair to get the back of her neck and noticed something odd about the flow of her chakra in the area. It seemed to be concentrated around a single point on her neck. Neji thought he recognized the pattern of chakra, but couldn't remember where from.

"Did you want something, Neji-kun?"

"They sent me to see where you went. Your brother's worried about you."

Kazue just gave a small _hn_ of acknowledgement in return and wiped her face off. "Tsukino was always the one who could tell when something was wrong, even when my parents were too busy to notice. I've never gotten a chance to team up with him on a mission before. I'm glad to be doing missions again."

"But...?" Neji added, taking a seat.

"But I'm not..." Kazue searched for the appropriate word. "...comfortable being home. People treat me like I was never gone, and that I'm still the same person as when I left. I _was_ gone, and I'm _not_ the same. I thought it would be a great relief to be home, but it's overwhelming. All of a sudden I have people who care about me again and I'm surrounded by people who laugh and make jokes and enjoy their lives. I haven't had any of that since I was thirteen. Everyone else is so different, too. You too, Neji."

"In a good way or a bad one?"

"Good, I think. You used to be so pessimistic and arrogant, walking around like you were superior to everyone else. You seem more...human now."

They stood in silence, staring at the water.

"Oi, did you two drown?" shouted Hiroshi from the campsite. Neji raised an eyebrow. "Is he always...?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

She turned to go back to the camp, but Neji stopped her with a, "Kazue, what is that seal on your neck? It's almost like it has its own chakra."

Kazue turned around and lifted up her hair. He was the head of the team, so he needed to know any...special conditions...of his teammates. Not that she minded, or more accurately, didn't care. Neji stared at the way the chakra moved beneath the skin like a living being with its own pulse. He unconsciously reached up and touched it. Kazue shivered and drew away. Neji quickly apologized.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Did I make it hurt?" he asked, recalling how his would sometimes sting on occasion.

"It's okay, it's just...sensitive, that's all. Isn't yours?"

"Um, a bit, I guess," he answered, looking the slightest bit uncomfortable talking about his own seal. Kazue rubbed her neck and added, "You know, when we used to train together I never did understand why you hated the Main Branch so much for giving you that seal. Now I know. It's not a good feeling knowing someone has control over you."

With that, she picked up her canteen and walked off, leaving a confused Neji behind.

* * *

The moment the sun came up, they were off. As the captain, Neji took the lead with Tenten behind him on the left, Tsukino on the right, Rock Lee and Kazue behind each of them respectively, while Daichi and Hiroshi flanked a couple meters to either side. It was an effective formation, although being placed next to Lee was starting to wear the kunoichi's patience pretty thin. 

"Neji said you were a prisoner in the Sound. Is that really true?" he asked.

"Worst years of my life," Kazue responded dully. The terrain was slowly beginning to change. The trees were thinning out to give way to thick stretches of bamboo forests. They had to be getting close.

"It is a shame to lose that much of your life. Even right now, there is no youthful gleam in your eyes. I have often told Neji that he needs to embrace the joys of youth. You look like you could use some youthful energy, too," he continued.

It couldn't be that far to their destination, right? For Lee's sake, it had better be close. Just as she was about to snap, however, the Village Hidden in the Grass loomed into view. It was a nice village, with thatched-roof buildings and fields off in the distance. The only word Kazue could think of to describe it was "quaint" or perhaps "serene." They were met at the gate by two grass shinobi; a tall male with a thick mat of brown hair underneath a wide, straw shade hat with his grass village hitai-ate plate on it, and a slightly shorter female with dark blonde hair and an identical shade hat. The blonde female stepped forward and put her hands on her hips, looking intently at the group.

"Not exactly what I'd call an elite squad, but you'll do."

* * *

**Shiori's excuses:**

God, it's been forever since I've updated. Curse you school! I swear, I've never been this busy in my life. I have school from eight to three, then drama until six, karate after that on mondays and fridays until eight, plus work in any spare time I have (freelance computer graphics). Oh yeah, and my skating season starts next week. Cue swirly eyes and sweat drop. I haven't given up on this story. In fact I have the entire thing thought out in my head. It's just finding time and energy to get it from there to the computer is proving rather difficult. It took five hours of Halo 3 yesterday to lower my stress level to a somewhat managable state. So anyway, I'll update when I can, but I can't promise it'll be soon.


End file.
